Book Recommendations

How to Kidnap the Rich

By Rahul Raina

Fiction, Humorous, Black Humor, Political, Cultural Heritage, General, Literary, Thrillers, Suspense | 304 pages
1 recommendation

'A tightly written, fast-paced, often sharply savage societal satire... a rollicking read'
Sunday Times

'An absolute riot - part thriller, part satire of contemporary urban India'
Mail on Sunday

'Roars will brilliance, freshness and so much heart'
Kevin Kwan

'Joyous'
The Times

If you're fat and Indian, you're rich; if you're fat and poor, you're lying. It's only the West where the rich are thin and vegan and moral...

Ramesh Kumar grew up deprived and unloved, working on his father's tea stall in the Old City of Delhi. Now, brilliant but poor, he makes a lucrative living taking tests for the sons of India's elite. When one of his clients, the sweet but hapless eighteen-year-old Rudi Saxena, places first in the All Indias, the national university entrance exams, Ramesh sees an unmissable opportunity.

Cashing in on Rudi's newfound celebrity, all goes well for both boys for a while. But Rudi's role on a game show leads the boys through a maze of crimes both large and small, and their dizzying journey reveals an India in all its complexity, beauty and squalor.

Latest recommendations
Nicola Grieve
7th Sep 2024
"If you're looking for a book that will fill your imagination with wonderful dreamy pictures of India - this isn't it. But it is a very funny and entertaining read that is both satirical and thought provoking at the same time. I lived in India for two and a half years and it is one of the books that I think really helps people get a glimpse of modern India (both the good and the bad)."